KOTA KINABALU, Oct 19 ― The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today arrested Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as part of their investigation into the alleged embezzlement of rural development funds estimated at RM1.5 billion.
The Parti Warisan Sabah president, who turns 60 tomorrow, was detained by graft investigators after three-and-a-half hours of interrogation at the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission office headquarters here.
An MACC source confirmed the arrest via Whatsapp but declined to comment further.
Warisan deputy chief commissioner Darell Leiking confirmed the arrest and said Shafie was accepting of the process and the arrest.
“His request is that everyone remains calm, don’t act out, yell or get emotional. He wants to respect the law and due process,” he said.
The Semporna MP is expected to be remanded in court tomorrow.
Shafie had arrived at the MACC office at 5.20pm to give his statement after being called up last night.
At 9.20pm, there were still about 150 supporters who had gathered at the State Federal administrative complex here to show their support for Shafie.
The former Umno vice president has been speculated to be a key figure in investigations into embezzlement from RM1.5 billion worth of projects under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry from 2009 to 2015, when he was minister.
His younger brothers Lahad Datu assemblyman from Umno Datuk Yusof Apdal, 57 and Hamid Apdal, 52 as well as party leaders have already been hauled up and are under MACC bail.
The investigations was said to be focused on some 70 infrastructure projects in rural Sabah.
MACC has so far arrested ten others to facilitate their investigations.
The other eight who have been arrested are Warisan vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony, a Sabah-based construction company owner, a former deputy secretary from the ministry, Warisan Youth chief Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman, Tenom Umno Youth chief Jamawi Jaafar, and Tawau Umno Youth chief Ariffin Kassim, Hamid’s 37-year-old son-in-law Manzur Hussein Awal Khan and Warisan Putatan division secretary Amarjit Singh.
All but Yusof and Amarjit have been released on bail.
